Agra train fire: How a gateman detected smoke and averted a big tragedy
New Delhi (PTI): Had gateman Yashpal Singh, a retired army officer posted at one of the railway level crossings near Bhandai station, not acted in the nick of time and alerted his higher-ups, the fire in Patalkot Express coaches would have turned into a major tragedy on Wednesday afternoon.
"When the train was passing through the gate at 3.35 pm before reaching Bhandai station, Singh detected smoke coming out from the 4th coach from the engine. No one inside the train was aware of it," a source, who is privy to internal communication in the Agra division, told PTI.
"Yashpal immediately called Haridas, the deputy station superintendent of Bhandai station, who further informed the control room," he added.
He said that the train controller immediately directed the OHE (Over Head Equipment) in charge to shut down the power supply of all trains in UP and DOWN directions to stop them at their respective locations
Senior officials have also acknowledged the commendable work of Singh who is posted at Bhandai station since 2021.
"By the time the Patalkot Express stopped at 3.37 pm, it had already crossed the Bhandai station. Within 10 minutes, fire brigade, ambulance and SPART (Self Propelled Accident Relief Train) were asked to reach the site," the source said.
"In the meantime, the fire had already engulfed the two coaches -- 3rd and 4th from the engine. However, all the passengers were evacuated in time," he added.
According to the Railway Protection Force, the fire was completely extinguished by 5.10 pm, and a total of 11 people received minor burn injuries.
Rahul Kumar (18), Mohit (25), Shivam (18) Manoj Kumar (34), Hardayal (59), Maniram (45), Rameshwar (29), Gaurav (22), Sidharth (18) Hitesh (17) and Vikas (17) were injured in the train fire.
The train was heading to Seoni in Madhya Pradesh from Firozpur Cantonment in Punjab when the fire broke out near Bhandai, about 10 km from Agra.
Agra Railway Division PRO Prashasti Srivastava said the cause of the fire was not immediately known.
"A fire incident in Patalkot Express has been reported between Bhandai and Jajau in NCR (North Central Railway), Agra Division. Two coaches have been completely burnt. Since two adjacent coaches have also been affected, a total of four coaches have been detached from the train, the situation is under control," she said.
Dr Prashant Gupta, Principal of S N Medical College in Agra, said that he was aware of nine people admitted to hospitals.
"Seven were admitted to my hospital and two to a nearby hospital. Three of them have already been discharged from both hospitals. At present five patients in my hospital and one in the other hospital are being treated. All of them have minor burn injuries," he said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) of the Agra Police Commissionerate Sonam Kumar said five fire tenders and a forensic team reached the spot after the fire was reported.
"Train operations on the Agra-Dholpur route were impacted as many trains have been stopped at various stations," the source said.
The train left for its destination at 7.30 pm after accommodating the passengers of the affected coaches in other coaches, a railway official said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
